Reformed Rabbi: Obama Breeds Climate of Hate Against Jews

Our new president did not tell a virulent anti-Semite to travel to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington to kill Jews, but he is most certainly creating a climate of hate against us.It is no coincidence that we are witnessing this level of hatred toward Jews as President Barack Obama positions America against the Jewish state.

Just days ago Obama traveled to Cairo, Egypt. It was his second trip in a short time to visit Muslim countries. He sent a clear message by not visiting Israel. But this was code.

In Cairo, Obama said things that pose a grave danger to Jews in Israel, in America and everywhere. And if his views are not vigorously opposed they will help create a danger as great as that posed by the Nazis to the Jewish people.

Just last week, Obama told his worldwide audience — more than 100 million people — that the killing of six million Jews during the Holocaust was the equivalent of Israel’s actions in dealing with the Palestinians.This remark is incredible on its face, an insult to the six million Jews who died as a result of Hitler’s genocide — and it is a form of revisionism that will bode evil for Jews for years to come.While Obama acknowledged that “six million Jews were killed — more than the entire Jewish population of Israel today” — his discussion about the Holocaust was followed by this statement: “On the other hand, it is also undeniable that the Palestinian people — Muslims and Christians — have suffered in pursuit of a homeland.”

“On the other hand . . . ”?

Obama’s clever construct comparing the mass genocide of six million Jews to the Palestinian struggle will not be lost on the estimated 100 million Muslims who tuned into to hear him.Perhaps it was not lost on James W. von Brunn, the 88-year-old white supremacist identified as the alleged attacker Wednesday at the Holocaust Museum. He apparently felt that he could easily take retribution against the Jews for the atrocities Obama implies they are guilty of.

At first blush Mr. Obama’s speech seemed rosy, optimistic — one that espoused tolerance and understanding. If you scratch the surface it is a dangerous document that history will view as a turning point for America and Israel — one that will lead to dangerous times ahead for both Jews and believing Christians.

The immediate danger posed by Obama’s speech is in its incredible re-writing of the history of Jews, Christians and Muslims from Medieval times to the present. Obama, continually throughout his speech, talks of Islam’s peaceful intent. And while there are certainly Koranic verses that support this interpretation, Islam has a long and bloody history of violence against fellow Muslims, Jews and Christians.

Has Obama not heard about the Muslim’s violent conquest of the Middle East, Spain and half of Western Europe? Was he never taught that the Crusades sought to turn back this Muslim onslaught that demanded subjugated populations convert or die?In his almost hour-long speech, there is not a single word about Islam’s well known and checkered past.

Ironically, the American president offered plenty of references to what he sees are America’s evils, such as its “colonialism” and history of slavery. “For centuries, black people in America suffered the lash of the whip as slaves and the humiliation of segregation,” Obama told his audience, citing a litany of American shortcomings. He failed to mention that Arab Muslims were the greatest slave traders in the history of humanity.

According to Obama, Israelis, too, are guilty of wrongdoing, especially when it comes to their supposed maltreatment of the Palestinians.Isn’t it odd an American president would go to a foreign country and slander his own country and its long-time ally?At the same time he praises — unconditionally — a religion and culture that has a long history of being antithetical to the very values that have made America a great nation

Mr. Obama even has the unbelievable gall, when talking about the treatment of Muslim women, to condemn Western countries for attempting to stop Muslim women from using the full facial cover, or hijab. This is a symbol of Muslim subjugation of women.Listen to what Obama said: “Likewise, it is important for Western countries to avoid impeding Muslim citizens from practicing religion as they see fit - for instance, by dictating what clothes a Muslim woman should wear.”

And Obama not only ignores the gross subjugation of women in many Arab societies — he does not mention even once the almost total religious intolerance throughout the Muslim world against Christians and Jews. In his speech, Obama’s only plea for Muslim women living in Muslim countries is that they should be afforded an education.How about a discussion of the beheading of Arab women for “crimes” such as adultery? How about the malicious treatment of women in Muslim countries who choose not to wear the hijab?Obama insists that Islam has promoted tolerance and that in Islamic societies such ideals have flourished.

Obama claimed that “as a student of history” he understands more than most the truth about “civilization's debt to Islam.” He added, “And throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality.”Does he not know that a Jew or Christian would be beheaded in Saudi Arabia for practicing their religion today, now, this minute?Of course, Obama offers not one example of where religious freedom is truly tolerated in the Muslim world. Yet, he proudly told his audience that in every state of the union and throughout the U.S. there exist more than 1,200 mosques.But why, Mr. President, is there no Christian Church or Jewish synagogue operating within the borders of Saudi Arabia? Not even one.Why in many countries, including your host Egypt, Christian churches have suffered vicious and continual persecution? Why is a once vibrant Cairo Jewish community — a home for the likes of Maimonides — today practically extinct?Why, dear president, has the ancient Christian community in the West Bank and places like Bethlehem been almost completely wiped out by the modern Muslim onslaught?

“On the other hand,” to quote you Mr. President, you avoided mentioning some other truths.Let’s start with the Israeli Arabs who can claim one of the highest standards of living in the Arab world. Indeed, they have more rights than Arabs in any Muslim country, their religious freedom is completely protected, and they even vote in free elections.Tell me what Muslim country matches Israel’s record in protecting its minorities?Even Arabs in the West Bank, during the time of Israeli control, saw their standard of living rise dramatically. Today, Arabs there are among the best educated in the world, thanks to Israel.In your revisionist view, Israel has acted to harm these people. But it was not Israel that could not abide by United Nations resolutions clearly setting borders for both the state of Israel and an entity that had never existed before named Palestine.You cleverly omitted any discussion of these facts, or the continual attacks against the state of Israel over six decades by its Muslim neighbors. Nor is it the Israelis who persecute from time to time the Coptic Christians of Egypt.No, Mr. President, I do not accept your assertion that you are seeking religious tolerance or that you are seeking to protect Jews. I do not accept it because you are inventing a false history to fit your own agenda.Mr. President, I am deeply disturbed that you would offer such a distortion of truth in the hopes of creating a lasting peace. A lasting peace cannot be created out of lies, distortions and half truths.You profess to be a Christian. But you seem more intent on protecting Muslims. In your speech you talked openly of your Muslim heritage, your admiration of their way of life, and so forth. You said in your speech that you have made one of your chief aims of your presidency repairing the image of Islam.Why did you hide these views from the American public during the recent presidential campaign?Why, as president, did you fully bow to the Saudi king, who refuses to allow any religious freedom for any Christian or Jew?You have made clear, by your words and assertions, that you are re-positioning the United States away from Israel, America’s lone democratic ally in the Mid-East.You have made clear through your statements and those of your minions that Israel should, under no circumstances, prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons.And yes, you have promised to retaliate against Iran if it ever attacks Israel with nuclear weapons.But you know full well that if Iran succeeds in its admitted goal of “wiping the Jewish state off the map” — and hits this tiny nation with nuclear warheads — there will be no Israel for the U.S. to retaliate on behalf of.Some Jews may be naïve, but we are not stupid.

Rabbi Pomerantz' outcry from the heart is especially welcome since he is a Reform rabbi and many of his fellows in the Reform movement have actively taken the side of the Obama administration and the State Department in calling for Obama to put pressure on Israel to do theState Dept's bidding. I was recently informed by a friend, a trusted historical researcher in the United States, that the Ford Foundation made an agreement with some institutions of the Reformed Jewish movement to finance efforts by these bodies to work for a more "evenhanded" US policy towards Israel. What does this mean? Will Reform bodies lie on behalf of the Obama adminstration against Israel? This is shocking news, especially since funds from the Reform movement were used to organize the anti-Israel hate campaign at the Durban I meeting in Durban, South Africa in September 2001 [on this, see research articles by Edwin Black for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, JTA].

Another recent case is a statement by Reform rabbis calling on Obama to pressure Israel to evacuate so-called "illegal outposts." Perhaps these rabbis forget that even Jewish settlers are human beings. And human beings are living in these outposts. Are they really "illegal" or just unauthorized or just inconvenient for State Dept policy? Have these rabbis inquired of the inhabitants of the outposts just why they are there? Have they committed a moral crime of some sort or are they "obstacles to peace" as the Obama administration says. To be sure, the Bush administration said the same. It makes no difference. These claims are offensive. Obama said in his Cairo speech that

The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israelisettlements. This construction violates previous agreements and underminesefforts to achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop.

Besides the bullying tone, Obama is making two false and offensive claims:1-- that Israel ever agreed to stop all settlements. This is false. Indeed, the Obama administration is deliberately overlooking the agreement of the Bush administration to accept Jewish settlements in the main settlement blocs, where building would continue.2-- that Jews living in Judea-Samaria are "obstacles to peace." In the Cairo speech, Obama claimed that building in settlements "undermines efforts to achieve peace." This is racism against Jews. This is also blaming Jews in advance for any future warfare. After all, if settlements or building in them "undermines peace," then continued building or continued habitation by Jews in them "undermines peace." So, by Obama and State Dept logic, settlers and any Israeli govt that allows settlements are undermining peace, and promoting a future war. That's a pretty clever verbal trick on Obama's part, fully justifying Rabbi Pomerantz's argument.

Moreover, it is not clear whether Obama is saying that all continued habitation by Jews in Judea-Samaria is illegitimate or only continued building of settlements and/or building in them. Either way the claim is racist and --furthermore-- has no foundation in international law. But slick politicians like Obama like to insinuate or suggest or imply notions that they cannot state explicitly.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Unfortunately, there is a minor historical error in the rabbi's appeal:. . . this Muslim onslaught that demanded subjugated populations convert or die. . .Actually, this statement of the purposes of jihad warfare ought to be amended to read: . . . demanded subjugated populations convert or die or pay tribute [Quran 9:29]. To be fair to Rabbi Pomerantz, there were times when Muslim armies did not give conquered and defeated kufar [unbelievers] the choice of paying tribute and simply offered them the choice of conversion or death.

9 Comments:

so much with the complaining! President Obama seems very accepting of the Russian colony at Palestine. he calls it "Israel" even. yes, it is unfortunate to compare the Jewish deaths during the Second World War with the plight of Arabs uprooted by Settlers. he should rather have compared the mass murder of Jews by Hitler with Stalin's "final solution" for the Ukranians, orchestrated by Lazar Kaganovich.

your use of the name "pablo schwartz" is offensive but then your whole comment is offensive.

If you know anything about the Russian tsarist empire, few Jews were allowed to live in Russia itself. But millions of Jews lived in Ukraine and Belarus, like my grandparents. So, many more Jews came to the Land of Israel from Ukraine than from Russia [veliki Rus]. Why then do you call us a "Russian colony"? I also see that you believe in collective guilt. That is, if Kaganovich starved Ukrainians in the first five year plan [including many Jews in Ukraine too] then all Jews are guilty and deserved to be massacred by the Nazis.

Now, if Jews were alien to Ukraine, as you believe, then why do you object if we go back to our ancestral homeland, the Land of Israel? The Arabs came as conquerors to our land and it never belonged to them by right. The Arabs are usurpers of our land, although we wish for peace with them in any case.

There are so many points to take issue with, but I have time only to select a couple.

1) In the Cairo speech, Obama DIDN'T suggest equivalence between the Holocaust and the Palestinian situation, as you'll know if you look back at the quote.

What I assume you are referring to is that at the end of the section attacking Holocaust denial, he reiternated that the Jews had suffered, and then acknowledged that Palestinians had also suffered. That is very different to suggesting the situations were COMPARABLE, which you directly did.

2) I'm pretty disgusted by the way in which the Holocaust Museum murder is being manipulated through the use of extremely carefully chosen phrases and rather twisted logic to assist in peoples' politically motivated attacks.

Let me be clear. As an American-Israeli Jew, I should be moderately sensitive to this. However, I can in no way imagine any argument which could suggest that the demented, 88yo, white supremacist was directly, or even distantly indirectly affected by a mixed-race President he will have despised.

I find the use of a catastrophe for political goals deeply distasteful, and outright immoral.

Ari, first of all, you should read my initial comments on the Cairo speech as well as the analyses of that speech by a number of analysts and intelligent laymen that I give at the bottom of that post. See link:

Now, it is very clear that Obama was helping to create an anti-Jewish climate of opinion in the USA, indeed throughout the world. After all, he says that Jews living in Judea-Samaria do not have the right to live there. That is degrading Jews and taking away Jewish human rights, which you may see referred to in other posts on my blog. Obama also encourages/incites Judeophobia by saying Jews' living in those places "undermine efforts to achieve peace." This is vicious. It means that Jews exercising their rights are an obstacle to peace. You may not understand it that way, but maybe you are too young and ignorant of history and political philosophy to know better.

Yes, obama did equate the Holocaust and palestinian Arab suffering, loss of homes, etc. He may not have done it explicitly but innuendo and insinuation are often more effective than explicit speech. He should have pointed out that the Palestinian Arabs, especially Haj Amin el-Husseini, collaborated in the Holocaust. Thus, the Arabs are not innocent of the Holocaust crime. See my two posts suggesting what Bibi Netanyahu ought to say in response to Obama for more of my response to Obama's subtle equation of Holocaust and pal Arab suffereing. Bear in mind that the Pal Arabs were driving Jews out of their homes in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as early as December 1947, after the General Assembly partition recommendation vote on 11-29-47.

I oppose, by the way, the surrender of Jewish rights as a way to obtain peace. That would be an illusion, an illusory peace at best.

I say that Obama contributed to the Holocaust Museum murder by helping to create an anti-Israel/anti-Jewish climate of opinion in the USA. Now, if you think that the climate of opinion fostered by obama and his gang did not affect or encourage that murderer then you are naive. Just because von brunn may have hated blacks doesn't mean that Judeophobic remarks by Jesse Jackson, Rev Jeremiah wright, Al Sharpton, Farrakhan, etc didn't affect him.

I do think that you need to study a lot more history. I recommend my blog as one source of badly needed info for you. By the way, did you notice that Rev Wright said some things very much like what von brunn said about Jews running the US govt?? The Holocaust Museum is a good place for learning too, although omits some important aspects of the Holocaust, such as the Arab collaboration in it and with the Nazis.Shalom

Mr Tyson:i beg for the apology !i did not wish to imply that the Ukraine is not the ancestral home of the Jewish people, that Kiev should not be their undivided capital. i agree with you the Arabs are invaders -- of North Africa among others. today the Saudis wish to lean on President Obama to ruin Persia, a regional rival. America listens because of Saudi investment money, because of their *oil*. the Americans so easily forget the attacks of 11 Septembre. the Americans have made their bed with monsters !

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The world swims in lies. Who doesn't know that? Even the dupes are told there are lies about. We aim to dispel the fog of lies, especially about Israel, like our prophets of old and our poets like Yehudah haLevi.
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צלום דבורה בת יהודה לייב ז''ל
Dvoyreh bas Yehudah Leyb, Eliyahu's mother. My own photo will have to await more peaceful times.
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